Neighborhood Archive Notes (01/23/2014)

The last time I found myself catching up with a few random pieces of memorabilia and information I had accumulated, it was a snowy day in mid-December. Sitting here now in the early hours of the morning, the wind is howling outside, the temperature isn't expected to climb out of the single digits anytime soon, and work has already been cancelled for the day. What better time to get to a few pieces I've been neglecting for a few weeks?

This is one of those books that I've seen for sale many times but have never purchased for some reason. It's never expensive (usually less than a buck plus shipping) which is what I finally realized when I got ahold of a copy a few weeks ago.

Good Neighbor to America's Children is a typical biography written for children in 1983. Most interesting to me were the many photographs used throughout the book. I'm not sure any of them were images I had not seen before, but each one is a full page in size which provides some extra clarity and detail in comparison with the same images seen elsewhere. You've likely seen most of these images, as well -- Mister Rogers standing on a small ladder next to Big Bird, crouched next to a robot, and talking with Dr. Margaret McFarland.

One thing that bothers me about this book is that it is next to impossible to find a copy that is in a format other than traditional library binding. The image above was actually borrowed from another site as my copy is the less-appealing library version (seen below).

Just before Christmas, I received a copy of a very cool postcard from Neighborhod Archive pal Guy Hutchinson. Guy had placed an order through the Fred Rogers Company's online store and recieved two of these as free bonus items with his order.

I realize that this image is pretty blurry, but that's what makes this postcard unique. This postcard features a three dimensional image of Mister Rogers and several characters from Make-Believe. It's hard to describe but I'm sure you know what I'm talking about -- one of those images that appears to move slightly as it is shifted from side to side. A very fun postcard -- just difficult to scan or photograph due to the reflections off its three dimensional grooves.

Thanks again to Guy for sharing this postcard!

Coming Soon

While continuing to work my way through episodes from the early 1970s, I am also excited about plans for a conversation (via email) with Mr. Norbert Nathanson who provided many illustrations for WQED and the Children's Corner back in the 1950s.